UV Light & Sun Safety - Stay Sun Safe

Most skin cancers are caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet(UV) rays. Much of this exposure comes from the sun. HydroChic's UV protective swimwear offers the highest level of UPF protection without compromising feminine style. With so many fashion forward options to choose from at HydroChic, we've taken the unisex rash guard a notch above the rest to the next level, setting forth styles to fit the many shapes and sizes of a woman's body.

Ultraviolet List-Radiation

Ultraviolet (UV) rays are a form of invisible energy that is given off by the sun. The two types of UV rays that are damaging to us are UVA and UVB. Both are found outside even on the cloudiest days.

UVA and UVB rays are responsible for the damaging effects of the sun on the skin. Over-exposure for many years, especially in children, can increase a person's risk of developing skin cancer in later life. Skin cancers affect people of all skin types and can also develop on people who do not have a history of severe sunburn. A person's cumulative exposure to UVR along with the number of severe sunburns they have received, especially during childhood, increases their risk of developing skin cancer.

What health problems arise from over exposure to the sun? Exposure to the Ultraviolet rays (UV) of the sun are the cause of many health problems, aside from painful sunburns, such as:

What is the difference between UVA and UVB? Commonly categorized into three bands: UVA, UVB, and UVC comprise the electromagnetic energy spectrum produced by the sun. UVC is completely absorbed by ozone and oxygen and does not reach the earth’s surface. UVB is mostly absorbed by ozone, although some reaches the Earth under normal conditions and even more will reach the surface because of ozone depletion.

However, UVA is not significantly absorbed by the ozone and passes through into the earth’s surface. UVA does change due to time of year, latitude, etc., although not as much as UVB. To protect against UVA, you need to protect yourself year round regardless of where you live in the US.

Aside from having to reapply sunscreen in order to maintain protection, to date sunscreen SPF ratings only protect against UVB rays. More recently, sunscreens’ overall reliability has been called into question (See NY Times July 5th, 2007 Do Sunscreens Have You Covered?)

Is skin cancer deadly, can it really kill you? Just as thirty years ago people were less convinced of the deadly results of smoking so too today many people are not convinced of the danger, fatally so, of skin cancer. Many people believe that skin cancer is a relatively harmless disorder - visit your doctor and have the cancer removed. However, approximately 10,000 Americans were killed by skin cancer last year. Approximately 8,000 of these deaths were from malignant melanoma, while the remaining 2,000 deaths mostly resulted from squamous cell carcinomas. The biggest danger is letting skin cancer go untreated - if you are not sure about a mole or freckle that has changed in some way - you should always make an appointment and have it examined by a physician.

Why are all doctor diagnosis not equal? After looking at the records of over 2,000 melanoma patients, researchers at the Emory University School of Medicine found that growths that had been diagnosed by a dermatologist were more likely to be caught at an early stage of skin- thus more likely to survive their disease- than those diagnosed by other doctors less trained to recognize cancers in their early stages and who may have dismissed these blemishes as 'no big deal'. Our advise visit your dermatologist regularly for regular body checks!

UPF Sun Protective Clothing and UPF Sun Protective Swimwear were specifically designed to block the sun’s harmful UV radiation from damaging the skin. What is the difference between SPF and UPF ratings?

SPF = for SunscreenUPF = for Clothing & SwimwearUPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor. The UPF rating system was first developed by the Australian Government to inform and protect their citizens from the sun's very harmful rays.

Below is the Australian/New Zealand Standard for Sun Protective Clothing and Swimwear, which is now considered the industry standard in rating such sun protective clothing:

UPF Ratings and Protection Categories

UPF Rating

Protection Category

% UV radiation Blocked

UPF 15 - 24

Good

93.3 - 95.9

UPF 25 - 39

Very Good

96.0 - 97.4

UPF 40 and over

Excellent

97.5 or more

UPF50+

Considered the Ultimate in UV Sun Protection

Our company seeks to provide you with savvy sun protective swimwear which will give you protection from the damaging UV rays of the sun. We would like to help you enjoy the great outdoors while living an active sun safe life style. Be sun safe.

For more information about the effects of UV Radiation visit WHO UV Homepage.